Today's Sponsor:
Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC)
92% of Virginians say more college graduates and skilled trade workers are important to address workforce shortages. Learn more about our poll.
Dem lawmakers urge state action after U.S. food safety cuts
It’s time to take a hard look at what have been some obscure parts of state government now that the Trump administration has been cutting food safety oversight, the two chairs of the General Assembly’s health committees said Wednesday. The state’s agriculture and health departments each have food safety branches, but the federal government has taken the lead for decades. Now, though, staff cuts last month led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to suspend its quality control program for Grade A Milk.
VPAP Visual Measures of Legislator Wealth: 2025
Annual reports filed by members of the Virginia General Assembly are meant to disclose possible conflicts of interest, but they also provide a look at the wealth of elected officials. See how Republican and Democratic legislators compare across four different measures from the latest reports.
Debate grows over when to roll out higher academic standards in Virginia
As Virginia prepares to revise its academic benchmarks for students, a select group will consider how quickly the state should implement its proficiency ratings. The committees could recommend either a single-year transition or a more gradual approach over several years. However, any decision could significantly impact how schools, students, and communities respond. Implementing the changes over a year could have immediate effects but might also lead to rushed decisions. A phased approach over several years could help reduce anomalies, but may delay schools from receiving timely interventions.
Virginia consumer confidence nears record low amid tariff concerns
Consumer confidence in Virginia continues to fall, raising alarms about the Commonwealth’s economic outlook even as employment and wages remain strong. The Virginia Index of Consumer Sentiment dropped to 63.6 in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 14-point decline over the past six months. According to Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, that’s the second-lowest level recorded since the index began in 2011.
From VPAP Sample Ballot for June 17 Elections
Our easy-to-use tool provides a complete list of candidates on Virginia ballots for the June 17 primary elections. Enter your address to see the candidates seeking a party's nomination for statewide office, the Virginia House of Delegates, and local offices, along with your polling location.
From Red Oak to Greenville, Bluefield to Orange, and Goldvein to Silver Beach, VaNews delivers headlines from every corner of Virginia that would be hard to find on your own. This free, nonprofit resource relies entirely on voluntary contributions from readers like you. Please donate now! |
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State lawmakers chew on possible food safety updates for Virginia in wake of federal cuts
Since taking his post in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spearheaded a national movement to “make America healthy again,” including a plan to phase out synthetic dyes from foods, which have been linked to adverse effects in children. Virginia lawmakers also worked on a law to ban synthetic dyes from foods in public schools that Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed this spring. But cuts to the federal agencies responsible for food regulation are alarming, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, and Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, said on a call Wednesday, and work against the food safety and the public health goals Kennedy has professed.
UVA student-led groups urging General Assembly to reject BOV appointee Cuccinelli
Eighteen different student groups at UVA sent a joint letter to every member of the General Assembly on Wednesday, calling for them to block the confirmation of an appointed Board of Visitors member, Ken Cuccinelli. After Gov. Glenn Youngkin fired Bert Ellis from the board, he appointed Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general, to take that spot. Many UVA students were frustrated with the governor's decision, claiming Cuccinelli has previously undermined the safety and security of students across the commonwealth.
STATE ELECTIONS
Abigail Spanberger launches her first TV ad in Virginia governor's race
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, detailing her background as she ramps up her campaign in one of the most closely watched elections of the year. “Too many politicians talk when they should listen and divide instead of unite. Enough is enough,” Spanberger says in the 60-second spot, shared first with NBC News. She also highlights her experience in the CIA and her time in Congress, stressing her work with both parties.
Earle-Sears campaign ad stresses American dream
Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears debuted a campaign ad [in early May] that stressed her family’s humble origins and her successful pursuit of the American dream. Titled “Seven Quarters,” the ad begins by mentioning how much money, $1.75, her father had when he came to the United States from Jamaica to build a better life for himself and his family.
Democratic candidates for attorney general talk opioids, Trump and Southwest Virginia
Two Democratic candidates, Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor, will face off on the June 17 primary ballot in their bid to become Virginia’s next attorney general. Neither Jones nor Taylor is from Southwest or Southside Virginia, but both had ideas for how they could best support the two regions.
Frederick County Republicans joining Sixth District GOP Committee lawsuit
The Frederick County Republican Committee (FCRC) on Tuesday night agreed to join a lawsuit that will be filed by the GOP Committee of Virginia's Sixth Congressional District seeking to overturn a new state law which denies political parties the right to choose their nomination processes. It was decided on March 1 by the Sixth District Republican Committee on a 22-1 vote that the group would file a lawsuit seeking to overturn Helmer's Law, which went into effect in January 2024. The law, which was originally sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), requires political parties to use state-run primaries instead of their own nomination methods. Local elections are excluded.
A casino proposal in Northern Virginia is a hot topic on the campaign trail this year
Special interests are hoping to strike it rich next year in Richmond. It's a shifting political landscape for a proposed Tysons Corner casino. The closer you live to a proposed casino site in Fairfax County, the more likely you are to oppose it. That’s how Delegate Holly Seibold of Vienna explains her opposition to the proposed entertainment district in Tysons Corner featuring a casino. “The constituents in my district would like their voices heard loud and clear," Seibold says. "They didn’t ask for this casino, nor do they want one.”
STATE GOVERNMENT
Christian students challenge Virginia’s exclusion of tuition aid to theological majors
Three college students filed a lawsuit against Virginia on Wednesday, claiming that the state's exclusion of theological majors from tuition aid eligibility is unconstitutional. "Students can pursue myriad different secular programs and even some religious programs in college while remaining eligible for both the State Tuition Assistance and National Guard Grants—but the one thing they cannot pursue are programs that government officials deem to be for religious training or theological education," the students wrote in their complaint. The students challenge provisions of the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program and the National Guard Tuition Assistance Grant Program, which are administered by the State Council of Higher Education and the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, respectively.
CONGRESS
How work requirements for Medicaid could affect Virginians
The U.S. Senate is considering a massive budget bill, passed by House Republicans, that seeks to save money by adding work requirements to Medicaid. When Virginia tried adding similar work requirements years ago, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, which oversees the state's Medicaid program, said about 50,000 people would lose coverage. But that number would likely to be higher now since more Virginians are enrolled than in 2018. Rough estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for example, show nearly 200,000 Virginians losing coverage, including those who work or qualify for an exemption.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
Consumer confidence in Virginia nears record low as economic anxiety grows
Consumer sentiment in Virginia continues to slide, reaching its second-lowest level on record, according to the latest quarterly report by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College, released Wednesday. “While the labor market remains strong and wage growth is outpacing inflation, uncertainty is weighing heavily on consumers, particularly around tariffs,” said Alice Louise Kassens, Roanoke College’s John S. Shannon Professor of Economics and senior analyst at IPOR. “This uncertainty is reflected in both short- and long-term inflation expectations, which remain elevated despite recent easing in actual inflation rates.”
Virginia consumers remain pessimistic about tariff policy
Virginia consumers don’t know whether to buy now or hold off purchases because of shifting tariff policies and President Donald Trump‘s threats, according to a new survey by Roanoke College. Consumer sentiment continued to fall in Virginia, though not as steeply as nationally, according to the latest quarterly survey that the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research released on Wednesday.
Virginia Natural Gas breaks ground on $50M operations headquarters in Chesapeake
Virginia Natural Gas is building a new $50 million operations headquarters in Chesapeake. The project features 39,000 square feet of office space and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse. Roughly 150 employees — from the company’s Virginia Beach and Chesapeake locations — will work at the new facility on almost 30 acres on Clearfield Avenue. ... One of four natural gas distribution companies operating under Southern Company Gas, Virginia Natural Gas maintains its corporate headquarters on South Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach.
Strawberry season cut short: Virginia farmers face new fungal foe
Late May is normally the heart of strawberry season at Messick’s Farm Market in Bealeton, which for almost a decade has used pick-your-own fields as the main attraction to its annual strawberry festival. But this year, strawberry season has been cut short at farms across the mid-Atlantic. The culprit: An emerging fungal disease called Neopestalotiopsis — better known as Neo-P. “They’re not producing like they normally would. It's pretty concerning,” Jimmy Messick said of his 5 acres of Chandler and Sweet Charlie strawberry plants.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Harrison Tyler, preservationist and grandson of 10th president, dies at 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, a successful chemical engineer and preservationist who dedicated half his life to restoring and maintaining the colonial-era home of his grandfather President John Tyler as well as a Civil War fort nearby, died Sunday at 96, according to Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest, a national landmark that served as the residence for Mr. Tyler and his family. The cause of death was not immediately known. Mr. Tyler’s life was intertwined with those of his famous ancestors. His grandfather, the 10th president of the United States, was born in 1790, when George Washington was serving his first term as president, and served himself from 1841 to 1845. Mr. Tyler was also related to President William Henry Harrison, Pocahontas and Edmund Ruffin, a pro-slavery secessionist who fought in the Civil War.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of 10th U.S. president and longtime Richmonder, dies at 96
Since 2020, Harrison Ruffin Tyler was the last living link to a vanished America. The Richmond resident, preservationist and chemical engineer, a man who founded water treatment company ChemTreat and for whom William & Mary’s history department is named, also had the distinction of being the grandson of a man who became U.S. president in 1841. As long as he lived, much of the great sweep of American history could be contained in just three generations of memory.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of president who served in 1840s, dies
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, an extraordinary link to the nation’s past as the grandson of President John Tyler — who left office 180 years ago — has died at 96. Tyler, a former Richmond business leader and a benefactor of the College of William & Mary, died Sunday evening, said Annique Dunning, executive director of the Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation. He was a longtime resident of Westminster Canterbury in Richmond.
LOCAL
Chesterfield EDA secures zoning approval for two data center projects
More than 1,300 acres in western Chesterfield are now teed up for development as data center campuses. The county Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved rezoning requests filed by the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority to allow the construction of data center projects near Westchester Commons and on land that includes part of the western Upper Magnolia Green site near Moseley.
Without ‘cause’ but not without ‘justification’: Hopewell mayor comments on firings’ firestorm
Saying they “deserve their privacy,” Hopewell Mayor Johnny Partin Jr. said the firings earlier this month of the city manager and city clerk were without “cause” but not without "justification," and because it is a personnel matter, those reasons will not be publicly divulged. “It is true that we did vote for termination without cause, meaning only to award these employees their contractual severance payment instead of accusing them of any misconduct and withholding severance,” Partin said in a statement from the dais during the May 27 City Council meeting.
Greene County policy barring staff from speaking to press 'unconstitutional,' experts say
Greene County staff say they have been forbidden from speaking directly to the press about county business. And while county officials — elected and appointed — say there is no formal written policy in place, free speech experts say even an unwritten policy blocking public information is a violation of the First Amendment. Such unwritten policies are not rare, Seth Stern, a First Amendment lawyer and director of advocacy for the New York-based Freedom of the Press Foundation, told The Daily Progress, but that doesn’t make them any less illegal. “These policies are relatively common and, in most cases, unconstitutional,” Stern said via email.
Bristol landfill likely needs ‘decade’ for temps to decline
While temperatures inside the city’s former quarry landfill are coming down, it will likely be years before the facility can be formally closed and sealed, a landfill expert said. Temperatures deep inside the waste mass of the quarry landfill were over 200 degrees when it was regularly emitting noxious odors and prompting widespread public concern earlier this decade. ... “It will be approximately a decade. It could be eight years, it could be 15 years to go from where it is today — and where it was — to what we would call normal conditions,” said Craig Benson, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and member of the Department of Environmental Quality panel of experts that provided recommendations ...
Today's Sponsor:
Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC)
92% of Virginians say more college graduates and skilled trade workers are important to address workforce shortages. Learn more about our poll.
EDITORIALS
Trump undermines the rule of law with Culpeper sheriff’s pardon
It wasn’t long ago that a sheriff trading fake badges in exchange for cash would have earned universal condemnation. But that was before the age of Donald Trump, when a pledge of personal support for the president can be exchanged for a free pass from punishment. Nearly every chief executive, certainly every one in recent memory, has a few pardons or commutations that raise eyebrows, turn heads or shock the conscience. But Trump continues to excuse, and even praise, violent and corrupt individuals, rewarding his criminal supporters at the expense of public safety and common decency.
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: Roanoke College poll: Virginians’ confidence in economy has plummeted under Trump
In their only debate in the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan asked a single, devastating question that sank President Jimmy Carter’s already flagging reelection campaign: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” The answer, given the economy of the times, was clearly “no,” and voters resoundingly went with someone who they felt could change things. It’s a question that might haunt Virginia Republicans in this year’s state elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates.
OP-ED
Kiggans: Federal spending bill reflects Coastal Virginia’s values
In Washington, it’s easy to get distracted by the noise. But behind the headlines, real work is getting done. That’s why I voted for this year’s reconciliation bill — because it delivers measurable results for working families, seniors, small businesses and our servicemembers in Coastal Virginia. This bill is about putting money back in the pockets of everyday Americans. It stops the largest tax hike in American history before it can hit our middle class. By making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, it gives families and small businesses the certainty they need to plan for the future.
Williams: Children at risk: Transforming Virginia’s child welfare system
As Commissioner of Social Services and inspired by Gov. Youngkin’s unwavering commitment to Virginia’s families, I want to speak directly to the challenges and opportunities before us in protecting our commonwealth’s children. Virginia is at a crossroads. Gov. Youngkin has made it clear: the well-being of our children is not just a priority, it is a moral imperative and a measure of our success as a commonwealth. Yet, the data tells us we are falling short. In 2024, the Department of Social Services received nearly 95,000 reports of alleged child abuse and neglect — a 27% increase since 2020. Even more troubling, in 2023, 38 children died as a direct result of abuse or neglect, and in 71% of those cases, there was active or prior child welfare involvement. This is unacceptable and demands urgent, collective action.